Interpersonal Perceptions and the Emergence of Leadership Structures in Groups: A Network Perspective

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: DeRue, D. Scott; Nahrgang, Jennifer D.; Ashford, Susan J.
• 署名单位: University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; Arizona State University; Arizona State University-Tempe; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan
• 刊物名称: ORGANIZATION SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1047-7039
• DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2014.0963
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 1192-1209
• 关键词: Leadership; groups; interpersonal perception; structure; social network

摘要

We develop and test a multilevel theory explaining how patterns of interpersonal perceptions explain the emergence of informal leadership structures in groups. At the group level, we hypothesize that the network pattern of competence and warmth perceptions among group members determines the amount of leadership exhibited (leadership structure density) and the degree to which the emergent leadership structure is centralized or shared (leadership structure centralization). We then identify two individual-level mechanisms underlying these group-level effects: (a) individuals' identification with the group and (b) the differentiation of leader-prototypical roles within the group. Using social network analysis, we test these hypotheses in a sample of 255 MBA consulting teams working full time on projects in 41 different countries over seven weeks. Our findings establish the emergent nature of leadership structures in self-managing teams and foreground interpersonal perceptions as an explanation for why emergent, informal leadership structures vary across teams.